U.S. patent application number 11/939289 was filed with the patent office on 2009-05-14 for automated video presence detection.
This patent application is currently assigned to Cisco Technology, Inc.. Invention is credited to Mukul Jain, Joseph F. Khouri, Laurent F. Philonenko.
Application Number | 20090123035 11/939289 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40623739 |
Filed Date | 2009-05-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090123035 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Khouri; Joseph F. ; et
al. |
May 14, 2009 |
Automated Video Presence Detection
Abstract
In an embodiment, a method includes receiving an image of a
conference attendee. The method also includes extracting biometric
information associated with the conference attendee from the image
and determining a status of the conference attendee. The method
further includes communicating the status of the conference
attendee in response to determining the status of the conference
attendee.
Inventors: |
Khouri; Joseph F.; (San
Jose, CA) ; Philonenko; Laurent F.; (San Francisco,
CA) ; Jain; Mukul; (San Jose, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BAKER BOTTS L.L.P.
2001 ROSS AVENUE, SUITE 600
DALLAS
TX
75201-2980
US
|
Assignee: |
Cisco Technology, Inc.
San Jose
CA
|
Family ID: |
40623739 |
Appl. No.: |
11/939289 |
Filed: |
November 13, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
382/115 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 7/147 20130101;
G06K 9/00771 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
382/115 |
International
Class: |
G06K 9/00 20060101
G06K009/00 |
Claims
1. A method comprising: receiving an image of a conference
attendee, the image comprising biometric information associated
with the conference attendee; extracting the biometric information
associated with the conference attendee from the image; determining
a status of the conference attendee; and communicating the status
of the conference attendee in response to determining the status of
the conference attendee.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining whether
the extracted biometric information matches biometric information
associated with a known identification; associating the conference
attendee with the known identification in response to determining
that the extracted biometric information matches biometric
information associated with a known identification.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising associating the
conference attendee with a generic identification in response to
determining that the extracted biometric information does not match
biometric information associated with a known identification.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether the extracted
biometric information matches biometric information associated with
a known identification comprises comparing the extracted biometric
information to biometric information associated with a conference
attendee scheduled to attend the conference.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether the extracted
biometric information matches biometric information associated with
a known identification comprises comparing the extracted biometric
information to biometric information stored in an enterprise
directory, wherein the biometric information stored in the
enterprise directory is associated with one or more enterprise
users.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an image of a
conference attendee occurs in response to determining that a
conference attendee is exiting a conference site.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an image of a
conference attendee occurs in response to determining that a
conference attendee is entering a conference site.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining that one
or more necessary conference participants are present, wherein
necessary conference participants include one or more conference
attendees indicated as necessary.
9. An apparatus comprising a processor operable to: receive an
image of a conference attendee, the image comprising biometric
information associated with the conference attendee; and extract
the biometric information associated with the conference attendee
from the image; determine a status of the conference attendee; and
communicate the status of the conference attendee in response to
determining the status of the conference attendee.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further
operable to: determine whether the extracted biometric information
matches biometric information associated with a known
identification; associate the conference attendee with the known
identification in response to determining that the extracted
biometric information matches biometric information associated with
a known identification.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor is further
operable to associate the conference attendee with a generic
identification in response to determining that the extracted
biometric information does not match biometric information
associated with a known identification.
12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein a processor operable to
determine whether the extracted biometric information matches
biometric information associated with a known identification
comprises a processor operable to compare the extracted biometric
information to biometric information associated with a conference
attendee scheduled to attend the conference.
13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein a processor operable to
determine whether the extracted biometric information matches
biometric information associated with a known identification
comprises a processor operable to compare the extracted biometric
information to biometric information stored in an enterprise
directory, wherein the biometric information stored in the
enterprise directory is associated with one or more enterprise
users.
14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein a processor operable to
receive an image of a conference attendee comprises a processor
operable to receive an image of a conference attendee in response
to determining that a conference attendee is exiting a conference
site.
15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein a processor operable to
receive an image of a conference attendee comprises a processor
operable to receive an image of a conference attendee in response
to determining that a conference attendee is entering a conference
site.
16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further
operable to determine that one or more necessary conference
participants are present, wherein necessary conference participants
include one or more conference attendees indicated as
necessary.
17. Logic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution and
when executed operable to: receive an image of a conference
attendee, the image comprising biometric information associated
with the conference attendee; and extract the biometric information
associated with the conference attendee from the image; determine a
status of the conference attendee; and communicate the status of
the conference attendee in response to determining the status of
the conference attendee.
18. The logic of claim 17, wherein the logic is further operable
to: determine whether the extracted biometric information matches
biometric information associated with a known identification;
associate the conference attendee with the known identification in
response to determining that the extracted biometric information
matches biometric information associated with a known
identification.
19. The logic of claim 18, wherein the logic is further operable to
associate the conference attendee with a generic identification in
response to determining that the extracted biometric information
does not match biometric information associated with a known
identification.
20. The logic of claim 18, wherein logic to determine whether the
extracted biometric information matches biometric information
associated with a known identification comprises logic operable to
compare the extracted biometric information to biometric
information stored in an enterprise directory, wherein the
biometric information stored in the enterprise directory is
associated with one or more enterprise users.
21. The logic of claim 18, wherein logic operable to determine
whether the extracted biometric information matches biometric
information associated with a known identification comprises logic
operable to compare the extracted biometric information to
biometric information associated with a conference attendee
scheduled to attend the conference.
22. The logic of claim 17, wherein logic operable to receive an
image of a conference attendee comprises logic operable to receive
an image of a conference attendee in response to determining that a
conference attendee is exiting a conference site.
23. The logic of claim 17, wherein logic operable to receive an
image of a conference attendee comprises logic operable to receive
an image of a conference attendee in response to determining that a
conference attendee is entering a conference site.
24. The logic of claim 17, wherein the logic is further operable to
determine that one or more necessary conference participants are
present, wherein necessary conference participants include one or
more conference attendees indicated as necessary.
25. A system comprising: means for receiving an image of a
conference attendee, the image comprising biometric information
associated with the conference attendee; means for extracting the
biometric information associated with the conference attendee from
the image; means for determining a status of the conference
attendee; and means for communicating the status of the conference
attendee in response to determining the status of the conference
attendee.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This disclosure relates in general to communication
systems.
BACKGROUND
[0002] There are many methods available which allow groups of
individuals located throughout the world to engage in conferences.
Such methods generally involve transmitting information and other
data from communication equipment located at one conference site to
communication equipment located at one or more other locations.
When engaging in a conference, participants may desire to know
whether certain participants at a remote site are present. While
teleconferencing may allow participants to see or hear participants
at a remote site, it may not indicate when a new conference
attendee arrives or when a conference attendee exits. Additionally,
if a conference attendee is silent or outside the coverage area of
a camera, a participant may not be aware of that an attendee at a
remote site is present.
[0003] In recent years, many advances have been made in the area of
facial recognition. In particular, several programs using various
image based and/or video based identity recognition algorithms have
been developed. Certain systems, when properly calibrated, are
capable of recognizing a person among a large pool of people.
Examples of such programs include FaceVACS.RTM. by Cognitech and
FaceIT.RTM. by L-1 Identity solutions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating a
communication system for conducting a teleconference including a
facial recognition system;
[0005] FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram illustrating a facial
recognition system in accordance with an embodiment; and
[0006] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for detecting
the presence of a conference attendee according to a particular
embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS
[0007] OVERVIEW
[0008] In an embodiment, a method includes receiving an image of a
conference attendee. The method also includes extracting biometric
information associated with the conference attendee from the image
and determining a status of the conference attendee. The method
further includes communicating the status of the conference
attendee in response to determining the status of the conference
attendee.
[0009] In certain embodiments the method may also include
determining whether the extracted biometric information matches
biometric information associated with a known identification.
Additionally, the method may include associating the conference
attendee with the known identification and communicating the status
of the conference attendee in response to associating the
conference attendee with the known identification.
[0010] DESCRIPTION
[0011] FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating a
communication system 10 for conducting a teleconference between
remote locations. The illustrated embodiment includes a
communication network 10 that may support conferencing between
remotely located sites 30 using conference equipment 40 and
conference manager 60. Also included is facial recognition system
70 which may identify and communicate that a user 50 is present at
a conference site 30. As used herein, a "conference" may include
any communication session between a plurality of users transmitted
using any audio and/or video means, including signals, data or
messages transmitted through voice and/or video devices, text chat,
and instant messaging.
[0012] Communication network 20 represents communication equipment,
including hardware and any appropriate controlling logic, for
interconnecting elements coupled to network 20 and facilitating
communication between sites 30. Communication network 20 may
include a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network
(MAN), a wide area network (WAN), any other public or private
network, a local, regional, or global communication network, an
enterprise intranet, other suitable wireline or wireless
communication link, or any combination of the preceding. To
facilitate certain communication capabilities, communication
network 20 may include any combination of gateways, routers, hubs,
switches, access points, base stations, and any other hardware,
software, or a combination of the preceding that may implement any
suitable protocol or communication. While the illustrated
embodiment indicates that communication system 10 includes a single
communication network 20, communication system 10 may include any
number or arrangement of communication networks 20.
[0013] Sites 30 are endpoints which may engage in a conference. In
general, sites 30 may include any suitable combination or
collection of hardware and/or software which may facilitate any
form of teleconference including videoconferencing and phone
conferencing. Sites 30 may be coupled to a communication network,
such as communication network 20, and thereby support
intra-eneterprise conferencing and/or inter-enterprise conferencing
among users 50. In the disclosed embodiment, sites 30 include
conference equipment 40, conference manager 60, and facial
recognition system 70.
[0014] Users 50 represent one or more individuals or groups of
individuals who may be present for a conference. Users 50 may
participate in a conference using any suitable device and/or
component, such as audio Internet Protocol (IP) phones, video phone
appliances, personal computer (PC) based video phones, and
streaming clients. During a conference, users 50 may engage in the
session as speakers or participate as non-speakers. Additionally,
in certain embodiments a user 50 may participate in a conference by
dial-in or other remote login procedure. Thus, presence at a site
30 is not required for a user 50 to participate in a conference
session.
[0015] Conference equipment 40 may facilitate videoconferencing or
other communications between users 50. Conference equipment 40 may
include any suitable elements to establish and facilitate a
teleconference. In particular, conference equipment 40 may include
any number of microphones, cameras, video cameras, loudspeakers,
user interfaces, monitors, computers, telephones, Internet protocol
(IP) phones, and/or speakerphones. Conference equipment may also
include one or more network interfaces, memories, processors,
codecs, or any other suitable hardware or software for engaging in
a conference between remote locations. In operation, conference
equipment 40 may establish a conference session using any suitable
technology and/or protocol, such as Session Initiation Protocol
(SIP) or H.323. Additionally, conference equipment 40 may support
and be interoperable with video systems supporting other standards,
such as H.261, H.263, and/or H.264.
[0016] In the illustrated embodiment, conference equipment 40
includes video cameras 42 and monitors 44 which may facilitate
videoconferencing. Video cameras 42 may include any suitable
hardware and/or software for capturing and transmitting an image of
a user 50. In particular, video cameras 42 may capture and generate
a video signal which may be transmitted to a remote site 42.
Monitors 44 include any suitable hardware and/or software operable
to receive a video signal and display the image of a remote user 50
to other users 50. Examples of monitors 44 include a television,
video projector, or computer monitor. Monitors 44 may include
software and hardware operable to support any suitable video
standard such as high definition (HD), moving picture experts group
(MPEG), or any encoding/decoding protocol.
[0017] Conference manager 60 represents any equipment including
hardware and/or software suitable for managing a multipoint
conference. Conference manager 60 may include one or more
processors, memories, interfaces, or codecs which may compress,
decompress, or otherwise process data. In operation, conference
manager 60 may serve as an intermediary between conference
equipment 40 and communication network 20. In particular,
conference manager 60 may transmit and receive signals, packets,
cells, or frames containing conference data between sites 30 via
network 20. Conference manager 60 may also route conference data to
appropriate communication equipment 40. In certain embodiments,
conference manager 60 may be further operable to apply any relevant
policies to conference sessions. Such policies may be user
specific, site specific, or conference specific. In a particular
embodiment, conference manager 60 may also include a display or
user interface to receive and present suitable information to
conference participants.
[0018] One or more sites 30 may also include a facial recognition
system 70. Facial recognition system 70 may comprise hardware
and/or software for determining the identity of a user 50 using
image based biometric or other information. Biometric information
may be any physical trait or characteristic which is unique to a
user 50 such as, for example, facial or retinal patterns. In
certain embodiments, facial recognition system 70 may include
technology such as FaceVACS.RTM. manufactured by Cognitec Systems
of Dresden, Germany and/or Facelt.RTM. manufactured by L-1 Identity
Solutions of Stamford, Conn. To facilitate the described
functionality, facial recognition system 70 may include one or more
cameras or other devices operable to scan, capture, or otherwise
generate a suitable image for identification of a user 50. Facial
recognition system 70 may also include software for biometric
authentication and identification. The software may employ any
suitable identification or recognition algorithm or protocol
including ones implementing eigenfaces, a hidden Markov model,
and/or dynamic link matching. In an embodiment, the described
identification capabilities of facial recognition system 70 may be
disaggregated and implemented through various components of
conference equipment 40. In particular, video cameras 42 may be
operable to capture an image suitable for biometric identification
and conference manager 60 may store software and other data for
matching the biometric data from the image to an identity.
[0019] In operation, facial recognition system 70 may detect the
presence of a visible and recognizable user 50 at a local site 30.
In particular, facial recognition system 70 may use biometric
information associated with a user 50 to identify a user 50 as a
current conference participant. The identification may involve
generating an image of the user 50 and extracting biometric
information associated with the user from the image. The extracted
biometric information may be matched and/or compared to biometric
information that is associated with a known identity. The matching
procedure may employ any suitable protocol or algorithm, including
those previously mentioned. If facial recognition system 70
determines that a match exists, the system may associate the user
50 attending the conference with the known identification.
Alternatively, if facial recognition system 70 is unable to match
the biometric information associated with a user 50 to a known
identity, the system may identify the user 50 by a generic name
such as "user 1," "user 2," etc.
[0020] Facial recognition system 70 may also communicate the
presence of a local user 50 to conference participants at a remote
site 30, whether such users are voice-only participants or voice
and video participants. As an example, facial recognition system 70
may generate and maintain a list of conference attendees that are
currently present at a local site 30. The list may comprise a
plurality of names (real or generic) associated with identified
users 50. By interfacing with network 20 and/or a device coupled to
network 20, facial recognition system may transmit the list of
attendees to a remote site 30. Upon receiving the list, conference
equipment 40 at the remote site 30 may inform the local users 50 by
displaying an update on a monitor 44. In certain embodiments,
conference equipment 40 may inform local users 50 by broadcasting
an audio announcement. This may be useful for blind or visually
impaired attendees that are unable to watch a remote participant
join a conference on a monitor 44. Additionally, the audio
announcement may be helpful for voice-only participants that may
dial-into a conference remotely. In certain situations, the
announcement may even be useful for users 50 that may not be
constantly watching monitor 50 and thus may miss activity at a
remote conference site.
[0021] Facial recognition system 70 may be further operable to
identify when a conference participant joins and leaves a
conference. Because a user 50 may not be positioned in the line of
site of a video camera 42 or may be participating by a voice only
or dial-in connection, a remote participant may be unaware that a
user 50 has joined or exited a conference. Thus, facial recognition
system 70 may update the list of current conference attendees or
otherwise indicate that a change in status with respect to a user
50 has occurred whenever a user 50 joins or exits a conference. To
facilitate this capability, facial recognition system 70 may be
positioned at or near an entry/exit to a site 30. Facial
recognition system 70 may also include a sensor or other device to
determine when a user 50 is entering and/or exiting the site 30.
Positioning facial recognition system 70 in such a manner may allow
the system to generate an image of a user 50 whenever a user 50
enters or exits a site 30. Biometric information may then be
extracted from the image and the entering and/or exiting user 50
may be identified.
[0022] In certain embodiments, facial recognition system 70 may
integrate with various directories and/or other presence
information to provide enhanced presence identification. As an
example, facial recognition system 70 may interface with an
enterprise directory which stores various images containing
biometric information of enterprise users. The enterprise directory
may contain front and non-frontal images of a user as well as
images of users in various lighting conditions such as outdoor and
indoor images. Maintaining a variety of images may provide enhanced
identification capabilities. In a further embodiment, facial
recognition system 70 may also integrate with other available
presence information such as login or access information which may
be required for one or more users 50 to join a conference session.
Combining the identification capabilities of facial recognition
system 70 with login information may facilitate presence detection
by confirming that an identified user 50 actually joined or exited
a conference. According to another embodiment, facial recognition
system 70 may interface with scheduling software and attempt to
identify the presence of a user 50 that is scheduled to attend the
conference. Again, combining the capabilities of facial recognition
system 70 with the scheduling software may ensure accurate
identification.
[0023] According to another embodiment, facial recognition system
70 may be used to identify necessary conference participants. For
example, when a conference organizer schedules a conference, the
organizer may indicate that certain users 50, or a specified number
of users 50, are necessary for a quorum. As users 50 join the
conference, facial recognition system 70 may monitor the arrival of
users 50 and indicate or announce when a quorum is present. In
certain embodiments, the ability to commence a conference session
may only be granted upon establishing a desired quorum of
conference participants. Alternatively or additionally, a
conference organizer may request to be notified when a particular
user 50 joins the conference. In such circumstances, facial
recognition system 70 may send a notice or other alert to the
conference organizer when the particular user joins the conference.
Facial recognition system 70 may thus be useful if certain
conference attendees join a conference by entering a conference
site rather than logging into the conference.
[0024] Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to
communication system 10 and the components illustrated therein. For
example, as mentioned, the functionality associated with facial
recognition system 70 may be disaggregated among various components
of a site 30. Thus, the operations of facial recognition system 70
may be performed by more, fewer, or other components. Additionally,
facial recognition 70 may be positioned in any suitable manner
within a site 30 which may enable a camera associated with the
system to generate an image of a user 50. As another example,
communication system 10 may include any suitable number of sites 30
and may facilitate a conferencing between any suitable number of
sites 30.
[0025] FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an
embodiment of a facial recognition system 70. In the illustrated
embodiment, facial recognition system 70 includes a sensor 72,
digital camera 73, and control unit 74 which includes interface 76,
memory 77, and processor 78.
[0026] Sensor 72 may be any device operable to determine that a
participant is entering or exiting a conference site 30. For
example, sensor 72 may be a motion detector, infrared or acoustic
device, and/or radio frequency identification (RFID) tag. In
response to determining that an attendee is entering or leaving a
conference site, sensor 72 may signal digital camera 73 to generate
an image associated with the attendee. While sensor 72 is
illustrated as integral with digital camera 73, it may
communicatively couple to camera 73 remotely.
[0027] Digital camera 73 and controller 74 may operatively couple
to determine the identity of a user 50 based on associated
biometric information. Digital camera 73 is a device which may
capture an image of a user 50 from which biometric information may
be extracted or analyzed. Digital camera 73 may be substantially
similar to previously described video camera 42. In operation,
digital camera 73 may generate a high resolution image of the face
and/or retina of a user 50 in response to sensor 72 indicating that
a conference attendee is entering or exiting a conference site.
Digital camera 73 may then transmit a digital representation of the
image to controller 74 for further processing. Controller 74
represents software and hardware which is operable to receive an
image generated by digital camera 73 and match biometric
information associated with the image to an identity associated
with a user 50.
[0028] Interface 76 represents any port or connection, real or
virtual, which may communicatively connect facial recognition
system 70 with another device. In general, interface 76 may include
any appropriate combination of software and/or hardware to support
communication between facial recognition system 70 and components
of communication network 20 or a site 30. For instance, interface
76 may couple facial recognition system 70 to an enterprise
directory , enterprise network, or various devices associated with
conference equipment 40. In particular embodiments, interface 76
may include a Network Interface Card (NIC), and any appropriate
controlling logic.
[0029] Memory 77 may store information used by control unit 74
and/or digital camera 73. Memory 77 may include any collection and
arrangement of volatile or non-volatile, local or remote devices
suitable for storing data. Examples of memory 77 include, but are
not limited to, random access memory (RAM) devices, dynamic random
access memory (DRAM), read only memory (ROM) devices, magnetic
storage devices, optical storage devices, flash memory, or any
other suitable data storage devices. In certain embodiments, memory
77 may store biometric information associated with one or more
users 50. The stored biometric information may be used to match
extracted biometric information from an image of a user 50 to a
known identity. Memory 77 may also store algorithms or other
software which may be used to provide the recognition and
identification of facial recognition system 70. In addition, memory
77 may store software for execution by processor 78 to control
operation and perform the described functionality of facial
recognition system 70.
[0030] Processor 78 controls the operation of facial recognition
system 70. In particular, processor 78 may match image based
biometric information generated by camera 73 to a known identity.
Processor 78 may execute code to perform any of the described
operations and may represent any suitable device(s) capable of
processing and/or communicating electronic information. Examples of
processor 78 include, but are not limited to, application-specific
integrated circuits (ASICs), field-proggrammable gate arrays
(FGPAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), and any other suitable
specific or general purpose processors.
[0031] While the illustrated embodiment contains a particular
number and configuration of components, facial recognition system
70 may include any components which operable to provide the recited
functionality. As an example, in certain embodiments, sensor 72,
digital camera 73, and control unit 74 may be combined into a
single device. Additionally, certain embodiments of facial
recognition system 70 may not include a sensor 72. In such
embodiments, digital camera 73 may, for example, continuously
generate images containing biometric information associated with
conference attendees. Further, facial recognition system 70 may
include any number of digital cameras 72. Accordingly, facial
recognition system 70 may include more, fewer, or other
components.
[0032] Referring now to FIG. 3, a method for detecting the presence
of a conference attendee is provided. In the described embodiment,
a facial recognition system 70 may determine that a conference
attendee has entered and/or exited a conference site and announce
the arrival or departure to a participant at a remote conference
site.
[0033] The described method begins at step 300 where facial
recognition system 70 monitors for the arrival and/or departure of
one or more conference attendees. At step 310, facial recognition
system 70 may determine that a conference attendee is entering or
exiting the conference site. This determination may be made by
sensor 72 or other device suitable for detecting the arrival and/or
departure of an attendee. In response to determining that a
conference attendee is entering or exiting the conference site,
digital camera 73 of facial recognition system 70 may generate an
image associated with the attendee which contains suitable
biometric information at step 320. As mentioned, biometric
information may be any physical trait or characteristic which is
unique to the attendee. Appropriate biometric information may
include facial or retinal patterns.
[0034] At step 330, facial recognition system 70 may determine
whether the biometric information associated with the image matches
biometric information associated with a known identification. This
determination may be made using any suitable pattern matching or
recognition algorithm. If the biometric information contained in
the image is associated with a known identification, facial
recognition system 70 may, at step 340, associate the attendee with
the identification. Alternatively, if the biometric information
associated with the image does not match biometric information
having a known identification, then facial recognition system may
associate the attendee with a generic identification at step 350.
As an example, the generic identification may be a label such as
"user 1," "Unknown attendee," etc. Once an identification (either
known or generic) has been associated with the attendee, facial
recognition system 70 may communicate the status of the conference
attendee to a remote conference site at step 350. In certain
embodiments, step 360 may involve sending a notification to one or
more remote sites 30 that are participating in the conference. The
notification may indicate whether the conference attendee is
present.
[0035] After sending the notification, the described process may
return to step 300 where facial recognition system 70 may proceed
to monitor the arrival and/or departure of one or more conference
attendees. Alternatively, if the conference session has ended or
terminated, then facial recognition system may conclude. Although a
particular process has been described, modifications, additions, or
omissions may be made to the method depicted in FIG. 3. In certain
embodiments, the method may include more, fewer, or other steps.
Additionally, steps may be performed in any suitable order without
departing from the scope of the disclosure.
[0036] While certain embodiments have been described in detail
numerous changes, substitutions, variations, alterations and
modifications may be ascertained by those skilled in the art, and
it is intended that the present disclosure encompass all such
changes, substitutions, variations, alterations and modifications
as falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *